


Smoke

by Secchar



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Mafia AU, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-07-28 18:45:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20068792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Secchar/pseuds/Secchar
Summary: Kyungsoo just wants to be a good president





	Smoke

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Reckless #21  
Warnings: None

Kyungsoo’s 18 when he meets Kai for the first time. He’s gone to his father’s office to have him sign off on a contract. It’s his first sale, and it’s completely and totally eclipsed by the appearance of the man on the couch.

At 31, Kai is menacing. In his perfectly tailored suit with his upswept hair and crystal-cut jawline, he’s easily the most attractive man Kyungsoo’s ever seen in his life. But it’s the way he’s leaning against the couch with his feet propped up, cigarette in hand, smoke lazily trailing towards the ceiling, that makes him truly menacing. This is a man with power.

“Ah, Kyungsoo. I’m glad you’re here. This is Kim Kai, one of our clients.”

It’s a forced smile and a jolting swing of an arm that precedes their official introduction. Kai doesn’t say anything but gives him an once-over and a small nod. Kyungsoo feels the glib smile grow easily enough on his face, making sure to squint his eyes as well to make it seem real. Kyungsoo knows how to deal with powerful men.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir. I look forward to continuing to work with you and hope that we can continue to serve you well.” It’s a standard line, one that he’s used on every client. It’s one that he delivers easily to Kai even though he knows that Kai isn’t a client.

His secret (illegal) pleasure is listening to the police scanners. He’s heard about the upcoming Mafioso, Kai. Their overnight wealth and business makes sense now. His father’s working for the mafia. But, for now, Kyungsoo has to pretend to be ignorant.

As Kyungsoo talks to his father about the contract, he feels Kai’s gaze sweep over him. Kyungsoo’s dealt with enough of his father’s associates to know why a powerful man like Kai would be interested in a kid like him. Revulsion creeps up his spine, but he smiles through it. It will only be worse if he shows himself to be anything less than comfortable.

After their initial meeting, Kyungsoo avoids going to his father’s office, choosing to send one of the interns or leaving a document at his father’s secretary’s desk. While Kyungsoo understands the reasons his father’s made an agreement with the mafia, he doesn’t approve of it.

Kyungsoo finds himself with an internship at Lee Corp, the summer after his 2nd year of college. Lee Corp is a conglomerate that uses Do Security. It’s a miracle that Kyungsoo’s offered the highly competitive internship. His grades are average and his extracurriculars are non-existent. He doesn’t even apply for it. They just give it to him. He assumes it’s some kind of gift for Do Security’s work.

It’s more beneficial for Kyungsoo to just stay and work the summer at Do Security, but the offer made by Lee Corp is too good for Kyungsoo to refuse. It’s an internship in their research and development department, which is insane for a kid who’s majoring in business administration, but it’s all there in black and white.

He meets Sehun, another college intern. Sehun’s slightly older than him, but it’s good. He’s a talker and doesn’t mind that Kyungsoo rarely responds. He did his service after his sophomore year, so he’s older than most of the kids in his classes, but he enjoys it. He’s majoring in political science and engineering, one of the weirder and more brutal combinations Kyungsoo’s ever heard of. But it suits Sehun, who is surprisingly good at finding the problems in their data sets.

The only thing that bothers Kyungsoo is that Sehun always, and he means always, smells heavily of cigarette smoke.

Despite the complexity of some of their projects, there’s always a portion where it’s just organizing the data. It doesn’t take a lot of thought, and Kyungsoo’s supervisor allows him to have his earbuds in while he works. It’s while he’s organizing the data that he tunes into the police scanners.

The Kim Family is of extreme interest to Kyungsoo because of Do Security’s own dealings with them. He’s scared for his father, and completely and utterly convinced that this won’t end well. It’s selfish too. One day he’ll take over the company, so he need to know what kind of man he’ll be dealing with. He’s not stupid enough to dream of escaping. Kai’s not going to let such an important asset slip out from underneath his thumb.

Sehun taps him on the shoulder, and startles Kyungsoo so badly that his pencil goes flying. Sehun only laughs at him and apologizes. Kyungsoo only manages to scowl at him briefly before going to retrieve his pencil. When he turns back, Sehun’s holding one of the earbuds close to his ear, clearly listening.

Kyungsoo colors. He’s not listening to a police scanner right now. It’s a podcast about a murder case involving the Red Hands, a group that does contract kills, and this podcast specifically believes that Kim Kai contracted the kill on a suspected lackey of the Lee family. One of Kyungsoo’s sources had sent the podcast to him, and Kyungsoo had been more than a little alarmed about the similarities between the lackey killed and his own father.

Sehun’s rather chill about the whole matter. Just gives Kyungsoo an easy grin, and an almost flippant response of “True crime podcasts are the best.”

Kyungsoo knows he comes off as too nervous. He makes himself nod, but he knows it’s jerky. Thankfully, Sehun just continues smiling before leaving him to go record his own data sets.

During his summer between his 3rd and 4th years, Kyungsoo works in an HR department of a small company that’s a subsidiary of Park Enterprises. This is an internship he secured for himself. He wants to be able to learn how to deal with employees and disgruntled customers. It sounds like something a company president should be able to do.

On his first day, the office goes wild because Mr. Kim, one of the board members of Park enterprises, is visiting the office, which is apparently a rare event. Kyungsoo’s not too into it. Mr. Kim’s probably some old man who thinks he can do whatever he wants. Kyungsoo’s probably met him at one of those many stuffy old parties he’s forced to attend as the future president of Do Security. Hard pass.

Except he’s not allowed to do a hard pass as an intern, so when the entire HR department is instructed to come to the lobby to greet Mr. Kim, Kyungsoo grits his teeth, but follows dutifully. Mr. Kim probably won’t notice him, and depending on his predilections, there are prettier, younger people working in the department.

The lobby is packed. Every employee is here, waiting for Mr. Kim. Kyungsoo gets shuffled into line with the rest of them, but he hardly gets to rest there before Ms. Bang, his supervisor, grabs his arm, and pulls him into the first row of employees.

The entire front line is full of department heads and managers and one intern. That can’t be right, but when Kyungsoo tries to step back into at least the second line, Ms. Bang holds him in place with an iron grip around his wrist.

“Ms. Bang!” Kyungsoo whisper-hisses. There’s no way he should be up here, and he doesn’t want to be up here. He’s an intern.

“Stay here, Mr. Do.” Her face is grave. She gives no indication as to why he needs to stay here.

Kyungsoo wants to argue, but the lobby doors slide open with an automated hiss and then Mr. Kim walks into the room.

It’s pure instinct, which makes Kyungsoo bow with the rest of the employees. His mind is preoccupied with the man who’s walking across the marble floor. It’s Kim Kai. Kim’s such a common name. Kyungsoo would never have connected the two. It’s ridiculous that a mobster would be a board member of such a prestigious company. It’s even more ridiculous that he’s here the same day as Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo keeps himself at a 90 degree bow, and just waits for Kai to pass by. He watches in trepidation as Kai’s shiny black shoes make their way slowly across the lobby. Mr. Lim, the president of the company, bounces around Kai, explaining how honored he is that Mr. Kim has chosen to visit. The shiny black shoes come to a stop right in front of Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo only lets his eyes fall shut for a second to allow himself to truly feel the horror of what’s about to happen, before he opens his eyes and straightens up when Kai asks who he is.

Kyungsoo smiles politely up at Kai, whose face is carefully arranged in a neutral expression that’s belied by only the slight uptick of the left side of his mouth. “My name is Do Kyungsoo, sir. I am a summer intern in the HR department.”

Kai smiles down at him. It’s a teasing smile and it rubs Kyungsoo the wrong way entirely. He doesn’t really know what Kai’s up to by doing this, but he’s doing it entirely for Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo doesn’t want it.

“And are you enjoying working here, Mr. Do?”

Mr. Lim hovers almost uncomfortably to the side, staring pleadingly at Kyungsoo, as if he fully expects Kyungsoo to give a negative answer. Kyungsoo barely registers him. He lets an oily smile grow on his face; its appearance seems to make Kai amused. “I enjoy it immensely, sir. I like helping our customers.”

Kai returns the oily smile. “I’m glad to hear it. Mr. Lim, I’d like to continue this meeting in your office.”

Mr. Lim moves as if a fire’s been lit under him. He ushers Mr. Kim over to the elevator, throwing frantic looks at the employees behind him.

Kyungsoo keeps his eyes on the ground until he hears the elevator doors shutter close. He rocks his head back and forth, stretching his neck. What a terrible encounter.

Kyungsoo enters the military right after college. He’s of more use to his father if he completes his mandatory service before he enters the company. While he’s there he befriends his bunkmate Sunggyu, a slightly nervous young man who is fiercely devoted to his younger sister. He’s straightforwardly honest. Kyungsoo likes him instantly.

On days that they’re allowed visitors, Kyungsoo is pleasantly surprised to find that Sehun comes. They’ve texted back and forth a few times and met for coffee even less than that, so Kyungsoo wasn’t really expecting their acquaintance to continue into his service.

Sehun promises to visit when he can and to send him care packages. He understands how bad the food is in the military. Kyungsoo thinks it’s an empty promise. It takes a lot of time to create a box, but he appreciates the thought.

The first care package, when it arrives, is big. It’s roughly half the size of his bunk. Kyungsoo can only stare at it in wonder until Sunggyu cuts it open with his pocketknife. It’s like Sehun’s shipped him a convenience store. Every snack Kyungsoo’s ever eaten is in the box. It’s too much for one person, and even when Kyungsoo tells the other soldiers in his regiment to take as much as they want, there’s still too much for Kyungsoo to eat alone.

There’s a card at the bottom of the box. It reads:

A little birdie told me that you ate these in college.

Hope you enjoy them

-J

Kyungsoo doesn’t know who J could possibly be, but when he shows Sunggyu the card, Sunggyu assures him that it’s just Sehun trying to be funny. Kyungsoo wrinkles his nose. It’s not really funny, but he doesn’t know Sehun that well. Sehun might just have a crap sense of humor.

Kyungsoo gets out of the military in 21 months, and immediately enters the security guard training program at Do Security. It’s required for anyone entering the company to do a version of the training just so that they know the product they’re selling, but Kyungsoo chooses to do the full program. The reason he verbalizes is that it’s a president’s job to know everything about his company. Inwardly, he feels like there’s a noose around his neck that began when he first saw Kai and is now slowly getting tighter. His father has stopped telling him about what’s going on in the company. Kyungsoo feels like he’s spiraling. He needs some kind of control.

Control comes in the form of Sua, a girl he went to college with. They’re dating technically. It’s something Kyungsoo does to preoccupy his time when he’s not doing his training. It’s fun sometimes even though he knows it’s dating for the sake of dating. Sua gets it. She’s from a similar background. Knows the protection to be found in dating.

Sehun and Sunggyu are two other sources of grounding for Kyungsoo. They meet once a week at a bar and drink until Kyungsoo begs leave for the night. Sua joins them some nights, but Sehun and Sunggyu make it rather clear that they don’t like her that much. Kyungsoo doesn’t think he’s under any delusions as to what Sua’s like, so he’s not really sure what the others dislike about her. He’s also not willing to ask, because he knows what his relationship with Sua is and he knows what his relationship with the guys is.

As the year progresses, both Sehun and Sunggyu get too busy to hang out as much. Even Sua has to take a step back. She’s a preschool teacher and it’s flu season. Kyungsoo accepts everything as it is and throws himself even more into his training.

But there’s only so much he can do when his father won’t tell him what’s going on. It’s getting worse. His father looks actively haggard, and still refuses to tell him what’s going on. Even listening to the police scanners isn’t as much fun as it used to be. Everything he hears somehow points to a heated war between the Kims and the Lees. It only exacerbates his own fears concerning his father.

Eventually he takes to sitting on a park bench overlooking a pond. It’s marginally relaxing, so Kyungsoo likes it. He thinks. It’s kind of boring, but maybe boring is what he needs.

One day, when he goes to sit on the bench overlooking the pond, he finds Kai, looking worse for wear, sitting on the bench, throwing seeds at the ducks. It’s pure stubbornness that leads Kyungsoo to sit next to him on the bench and pretend that Kai’s not there. He’s not his father. He won’t be controlled by Kai.

He knows that Kai smirks when he sits down. He knows it. At no point in their short acquaintanceship has Kai ever been anything but amused by Kyungsoo. Kai holds out the bag of seeds. Kyungsoo doesn’t look at him as he takes a handful and throws it at the ducks.

Kai moves his arm up and over Kyungsoo so that it rests across the back of the bench. Kyungsoo just angrily throws another handful of seed at the ducks. He will not be cowed.

And so it goes for the last month of Kyungsoo’s 23rd year.

Kyungsoo sits on the park bench on his 24th birthday. In a few hours, he’ll go back to his house for the surprise birthday party his parents throw for him every year. Sehun, Sunggyu and Sua will be his only friends. The rest will be business partners and other men of importance that Kyungsoo will have to schmooze up to. His father will announce to a room full of people Kyungsoo doesn’t care about that, upon the completion of his security guard training, Kyungsoo will become the Vice President of Do Security. Unsuprised, everyone will clap and congratulate him.

But until then, he’ll sit on this park bench and enjoy the quiet. _The last time it’ll be quiet for a while_, his mind whispers treacherously. The ducks quack at him. Their movement are the only disturbance on this day.

The silence continues until it’s disrupted by the sliding of paper across the bench. He looks down to seek a presently sleekly wrapped in silver paper and tied with gold ribbon. Kai sits next to it, not looking at him. There’s a small tag that reads

happy birthday

-J

It’s a birthday present for him from the man who trapped his father in the mafia. Suddenly, Kyungsoo has the nerve to ask a question he hasn’t even dared ask himself.

“Is my father going to die?”

There’s silence, then “Everyone dies.”

A nonanswer, which Kyungsoo supposes is an answer in itself. Unfortunately, he’s not surprised. “Is there no way out?”

“Not one with a happy ending.” Kyungsoo’s only ever heard Kai speak once before. His voice is raspy from smoking. Kyungsoo can smell the smoke on him from here.

More silence.

“What’s the J stand for?”

Kai gets up. He smiles, genuinely smiles, down at Kyungsoo. “Happy Birthday, Kyungsoo.”

It’s a watch.

Kyungsoo gets the call that his father’s been murdered at 3am. It was quick, no messing around. A bullet straight through the center of his forehead. Kyungsoo doesn’t let himself think about it too much. He lets the police officer’s words wash over him with absolutely no comprehension. Words stick out here and there like _gang warfare _and _Kim Kai_ and _Lee Sunjin_. They try to ask him questions, but Kyungsoo doesn’t respond to them at all. They all assume it’s shock from losing his father, and Kyungsoo assumes that they’re partly right. An answer that’s more right is that Kyungsoo can’t think of a decent lie that doesn’t implicate his father. He knows why they killed him.

His father smuggled weapons into Seoul for Kai, and when Kai moved into gambling, his father supplied Kai with security guards. Until then, Lee had been the only boss in gambling, and saw Kai’s new venture as a direct threat, and dealt with it as such.

It’s stupid.

Kai’s not going to stop trying to move into gambling. It’s hardly a threat to Kai that Lee killed Kyungsoo’s dad. It’s just business. Not personal. It’s the outcome when you work with the mob. Kyungsoo knows this.

So it’s not shock that plagues him. It’s resignation.

Kyungsoo goes into president’s office, _his _office, after his dad’s funeral, and sits there. Sua and Sunggyu tried to get him to go home, but he didn’t think he could. He turns on the computer and goes through every single contract the company has ever signed. He’s the president. He should know everything that goes on in the company. If working also helps him forget the hellscape he’s tumbled into, then that’s good too.

At one point, after hours of looking at a screen, he looks up and finds Kai sitting on the couch in the exact same position from all those years ago. It’s made complete by the cigarette between his fingers, smoke lazily curling up towards the ceiling. Kyungsoo feels something break.

Tears begin to pool in his eyes and a raw ache blooms in his heart. He lowers his head to the desk. The cool wood against his forehead keeps him from breaking down completely right then and there.

“The man who killed your father has been taken out.” Kai’s voice is still raspy, but also soft, almost placating. Kyungsoo, in his weakened state, might almost call it remorse. It’s a shock in its own right to hear Kai sound like that. As for the information itself, it brings Kyungsoo little comfort. His father’s dead, like he knew would happen, and nothing will change that fact.

“I’m sorry, Kyungsoo.”

“Why?” Kyungsoo asks abruptly, sitting up. “You knew he was going to die.” They all knew he was going to die. It was only a matter of when. He honestly wishes he could blame Kai for the death of his father, but he knows it was his father’s choice. When Kyungsoo was younger, his father spent hours agonizing over how to increase their business. Kai might have approached him, but it was his father who said yes.

Kai doesn’t respond.

Kyungsoo rubs his eyes. A headache is beginning to form behind his eyes. There’s too many conflicting emotions waging war within him. One thing is certain though.

“You can’t smoke in here, Kai.”

Sehun lets himself into Kyungsoo’s office and cuts himself off halfway through a greeting. Kyungsoo turns almost sluggishly in his chair to greet him. Sehun looks concerned. Kyungsoo knows he looks bad. He hasn’t slept well in weeks, and everything he does is a constant effort to keep the mob away from him.

When he had told Kai that he was breaking the agreement between Do Security and the Kim family, Kai had resisted. He told Kyungsoo that he was too valuable to be left alone. The other families would try everything in their power to have Do Security as an asset. Kyungsoo hadn’t listened and cut off ties. He hasn’t seen Kai in over a year, but he can’t say the same for the rest of the families.

Kai was right. It’s a constant assault on all sides with encounters ranging from bribery to threats. Kyungsoo’s held out this long, but it’s starting to take its toll. He can’t hold out much longer.

“How are you?” Sehun asks rather pointlessly. They can both see that Kyungsoo’s haggard.

“Super,” Kyungsoo responds. He exits out of his email.

Sehun doesn’t respond. Kyungsoo looks more closely at him. Sehun always responds even if it’s some stupid, little quip. “Are you alright? You’re kind of quiet.”

“Uh, I need to tell you something,” Sehun’s brow is drawn down in thought.

“Is this about Sunggyu and Sua? I already know they’re dating. It’s not really a surprise. They kept disappearing together. Who did they think they were fooling?” Kyungsoo’s glad that they found each other. Someone should be happy.

“No, it’s not that. It’s about me, and well, Sunggyu, I guess.”

“What is it?” Kyungsoo tries to smile kindly at him. He has no doubt that Sehun’s going to say something along the lines that they’re worried about him. He appreciates the gesture, but it’s not their problem. It’s his and his alone. He can’t drag anyone else into this inescapable nightmare.

“We’re best friends, right?” Sehun rubs the polyester fabric at the crease of his knee between two fingers.

“Yeah, of course.” Kyungsoo’s less sure of what’s happening now, but he wouldn’t say he’s worried. Yet.

Sehun takes a deep breath. “Kai thinks it’s in both of your best interests if you—”

“Get out.” This is said with complete control. It takes only seconds for Kyungsoo’s mind to collect multiple loose threads that have accumulated over the course of their friendship. Sehun and Sunggyu have never once been with Kyungsoo because they like him. The constant smell of smoke on both men, the care packages all signed with the single initial J, both Sunggyu and Sehun disappearing right when the war between Lee and Kim became the most heated. It was all an act. They’re not his friends. They’ve only been with Kyungsoo because Kai is a bastard.

“Kyungsoo—”

“Get out,” Kyungsoo repeats. Tears sting the back of his eyes. He grits his teeth. “Get out!”

“Please, Kyungsoo, please listen—“

Kyungsoo clicks on the intercom. “Ms. Park, will you please call someone to escort Mr. Oh down to the lobby?” A quick, perfunctory voice answers back in the affirmative.

“I’ll leave, Kyungsoo.” Sehun, in one of those ridiculously old style gangster suits he likes to wear, looks like a sad, lost child, but Kyungsoo doesn’t allow any emotion to dictate his actions right now. He blinks back tears and goes back to his computer.

Sehun leaves.

Kyungsoo rubs at his eyes furiously to get rid of the sting. When he reaches for a tissue, he notices the watch. It’s a watch he’s worn every day for over two years. He should take it off and thrown it in the garbage. Instead, Kyungsoo moves his hand back to the keyboard and starts typing. He has work to do.

Six months pass, and Kyungsoo’s taken to sleeping on the couch in his office more often than not. He’s paranoid. When he gets home at night, things have been moved around. People are in his house when he’s not there. He can’t sleep at night. There is no place safer than his office. He now understands what Kai meant when he said ‘there’s no way out with a happy ending’.

One night he wakes up on the couch and finds Kai sitting in the leather recliner next to it. Kai looks rumpled in his suit. Kyungsoo just sighs heavily and turns back over to sleep. He can’t bring himself to care anymore. Maybe if he’s lucky, Kai will kill him and end his misery.

“Sehun’s upset.”

“Poor baby,” Kyungsoo replies irritably. Kyungsoo’s upset. The two people he thought were his friends were spies for the man who ruined his life. Kyungsoo’s upset. Kyungsoo’s the only one who should be upset.

“He is your friend.” There’s an unmistakable pleading in his words.

“Did you place him in that internship?”

“I placed you in that internship. Sehun was doing recon for me. Lee Corp is run by Lee Sunjin’s cousin.”

Kyungsoo shoots up into a sitting position. He looks sharply at Kai. “You’re the reason I got that internship? Why?”

“I think you know why, Kyungsoo.” Kai sounds tired. His eyes drop to where Kyungsoo’s gripping the edge of the sofa.

And Kyungsoo does know why. “What does the J stand for?”

“Jongin.”

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo repeats, and he thinks he must be delirious with lack of sleep because he laughs, “It’s hardly the name of a Mafioso.”

Kai chuckles dryly. “Yeah, I know. Kai was the name of an American my dad worked with. I thought it sounded cool.”

There’s no reason for Kyungsoo to believe that Kai, Jongin, is telling the truth, but Kyungsoo thinks he is, and it soothes him to a degree. This is the most normal conversation he’s had in months.

“Is Sehun really upset?”

“Yes. I’ve come to make the case for both Sehun and Sunggyu. I told them to integrate themselves in your life initially, but I didn’t tell them to be your friends. They did that on their own. They miss you.”

Kyungsoo wonders if the words that he imagines are left unsaid are really there. Perhaps it’s useless to wonder about things like that. What does matter is that he can’t feel the anger that he did the day he kicked Sehun out of his office. There’s a sore spot that pulses when he thinks about that afternoon. He wants to be glad that Sehun and Sunggyu are really his friends, but he’s not in a position where he can afford to trust a mob member. He can’t be fraternizing within anyone who’s known to be in the mob.

“Kyungsoo, you’ll be safer if you renew our business together.”

“It’s borrowed time. Eventually one of your competitors will kill me as well. I’ll be lucky if I hit 40.” Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kyungsoo hates how nonchalant he is about his own death.

“I’ll protect you.” The pleading tone is stronger now.

“Like you protected my father?” Kyungsoo asks. It’s unfair. He knows it’s unfair, but for once in his life he feels free to talk to Jongin without any fear. He feels giddy seeing the despair that so quickly makes it’s way across Jongin’s handsome face.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin whines. “I tried. I promise, but there are some things you can’t plan for.”

“Then how are you sure that you’ll be able to protect me?”

There’s no response. Kyungsoo’s not sure that he needs one. He lays back down on the couch and turns over to continue sleeping.

Kyungsoo looks at his watch constantly and it’s a careless comment from his secretary that brings it to his attention that he fiddles with it when he’s unsure of himself. There are implications there that Kyungsoo’s not willing to deal with, but he’s abhorrent to the idea of taking the watch off. That, unfortunately, is a problem Kyungsoo can’t push off to the side. He texts Sehun and Sunggyu in their groupchat where the last message dates almost 2 years ago.

The meeting is awkward and Kyungsoo feels like his tongue sits almost uselessly in his mouth while Sunggyu and Sehun explain their side of the story. It’s hard to swallow that a 5-year friendship had such a duplicitous beginning, but he thinks he does believe them when they say that they are really his friends. There’s subtext rippling underneath their words when they talk about Kai, which makes Kyungsoo’s stomach roil in ways he doesn’t wish to understand.

They go their separate ways with a promise to meet at their favorite bar tomorrow night.

It’s a new, but promising beginning.

Kyungsoo’s being investigated by the Mafia Intelligence Unit (MIU) headed by the one and only uncorrupted police officer in the city, Captain Kim. Captain Kim with his perfectly pressed uniform, his perfectly coiffed hair complemented by his hat tilted just so. It’s annoying to deal with because Kyungsoo knows that he’s been caught in the crossfires of the Lee and Kim family, and yet he’s the one who has to deal with the police.

“Are you connected in any way with any of the families?” Captain Kim asks. He’s writing everything down on a yellow legal pad and smiling. His teeth are too white.

“No,” Kyungsoo answers. A lie. Kyungsoo had eventually created a new agreement with the Kim Family. Within 24 hours the rest of the families had stepped back and Kyungsoo is peaceful once more.

“Are you sure?”

Kyungsoo’s not stupid. Captain Kim has reason to believe he’s involved with the mafia. He’ll need to bend a bit to keep suspicion off him. “I mean we employ security guards at a number of different places. We don’t do background checks on clients.”

Captain Kim’s pen stops writing. “You don’t do background checks?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “It would cut out too much of my business. The only thing they’re required to tell us is the situation that they require security for.”

“Any of the situations mafia related?”

Kyungsoo shrugs. “Some of them are, but that’s because the client gets themselves into trouble. We advertise that we’re equipped for any situation.”

Captain Kim just hums and writes it down. “But nothing directly related?"

“Not that I’m aware of, Captain.”

Captain Kim clicks the ballpoint pen to retract the nib. He frowns at his notes before looking up at Kyungsoo. “Alright, Mr. Do, I believe that’s everything. If we have any more questions, we’ll contact you.”

Captain Kim gets Kyungsoo out of the police headquarters and onto the streets with surprising efficiency. Sehun’s waiting on the street corner. He comes up with a grin to Kyungsoo. He’s forgone his usual suit for jeans and a sweatshirt.

“Hey, Soo. That didn’t take too long.” They start walking down the street back towards Do Security.

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “They don’t have enough evidence to pin me for something. They just have suspicions that I’m involved with the mob, but I’m sure every company president has similar suspicions swarming around them. It’s a nonissue. You didn’t need to wait for me.”

“I wasn’t worried. I want to take you to lunch. We need to plan Sunggyu’s bachelor party, and also I’ve been asked to extend an invitation from the boss himself to ask you to the casino.” Sehun matches his stride to Kyungsoo’s while he relays the information. He’s speaking quickly, excitedly. Kyungsoo thinks he probably got the number of the busser at their favorite Indian restaurant down the road.

“I’m good for lunch. Let’s go to the Indian place. As for the invitation, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Or did you not just see me exit the police headquarters five minutes ago?” Kyungsoo’s feeding off Sehun’s positive energy. He feels lighter despite the criminal investigation he’s under.

Sehun tosses his head. “They’re investigating the murder of Lee Sunjin. You’re only involved because the gun used to kill him is the gun your guards wear. You’re not directly implicated.”

Kyungsoo hums. He’s tempted to fall for Sehun’s words and go to the casino. He’d like to just fall completely, but he can’t. Despite it being a nonissue, it’s dangerous yet, and Kyungsoo hasn’t survived this long because he’s careless. He tactlessly redirects the conversation.

“Sunggyu’s not really into strippers, but I think he’d really enjoy it if we got one of those animal mascots like Soohorang or Bandabi to pop out of his cake.”

Sehun nods, completely submitting to Kyungsoo’s wishes. “I agree that we shouldn’t get him a stripper. He would definitely think that he’s cheating on Sua if he got a lap dance, but I’m not sure we should get him an animal mascot. He’s not a furry.”

Kyungsoo leans against the bannister of the balcony overlooking the casino like a king presides over his kingdom. The air is dry and surprisingly clear of smoke. Kyungsoo doesn’t make a habit of visiting places like this, but it’s different than he thought it would be. It’s a machine. It’s efficient in a way that Kyungsoo can only admire. He thinks he understands why Jongin likes standing on the balcony. It’s a visual understanding of his own power. Lee never had any of his casinos running as well as Jongin has this one.

It’s not without its consequences, of course. Kyungsoo looks over at Jongin next to him. Jongin with dark circles under his eyes and sunken cheeks, and perpetually twitching fingers. Jongin who is leaning against Kyungsoo, who is still a source of heat and personhood for Kyungsoo despite his bone-deep weariness.

“You look tired.” It’s a stupid statement. One that’s clearly obvious to anyone who dares to look at Jongin, but Kyungsoo needs an opening for what’s he’s going to do.

Jongin laughs though, and rubs his eyes. Kyungsoo watches him rub his middle finger and thumb together. Jongin wants a cigarette, but he won’t. Affection unfurls in Kyungsoo’s chest.

“It’s not bad. Only for a few more months and then it should be still again. At least for a bit.”

Kyungsoo nods and swallows thickly. “But still. You should get some rest.” He hesitates in his delivery, “you can sleep at my place tonight.”

Silence then “yeah?”

“Yeah.”


End file.
